Saturday, October 01, 2016

No such thing as limited abortion, says archbishop

The Catholic Primate of All Ireland has said that, from a moral standpoint, there is no such thing as 'limited' abortion.

In his message for the Catholic church's worldwide ‘Day For Life’,
Archbishop Eamon Martin said that the medical prognosis for the life of a
child in the womb, or the extent of that child's disabilities, is no
more morally relevant to deciding if the baby should be allowed to live
than it is when considering an adult who faces the diagnosis of a
life-limiting condition.

The Primate stated that repeated calls for the repeal of the Eighth
highlight the contradictions between our increasing urgency as a society
about caring for our planet and other creatures and the apparent
determination of many to remove the right to life of unborn human
beings.

Referring to Pope Francis' appeal for a "revolution of tenderness",
Archbishop Martin described the Amendment as "fundamentally a
declaration of tenderness and love for the equal right to life of both a
mother and her unborn child".

He called it a precious and wonderful "undertaking to respect, defend
and vindicate that right" here "which places at the very
foundations….of our laws a clear conviction that all human life is worth
cherishing".

"To
deliberately and intentionally take the life of an innocent person,
whatever their state or stage of life, is always gravely morally wrong,"
Dr Martin said.

He called on everyone who believes in a better future for humanity to
preserve the dignity and sanctity of human life in all its stages and
conditions, as an affirmation of our human capacity for tenderness and
love.

He urged Catholics not to forget that some mothers and fathers
experience profound anguish when faced with a crisis in pregnancy and
said tenderness compels us to reach out to them.

And he repeated his Church's call for our politicians to provide
every possible service and support to women, parents and families who
are faced with severe difficulties and crises in pregnancy.

He said this must include a commitment to providing comprehensive
peri-natal hospice services for women and their families responding to a
diagnosis of life-limiting disability for their unborn child.

While mostly in Northern Ireland, Dr Martin's diocese of Armagh includes parts of the Republic.